You and Me
by Shizuka Ayasato
Summary: Sometimes when you want something so bad, it might as well be right there... A short Phoenix/Maya oneshot


**A/N: A short oneshot inspired by the song _You and Me _by Lifehouse. I wanted to be able to seperate the lyrics better and more evenly but it just didn't work out haha.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song, game, or characters. Everything belongs to their respective owners. **

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"_**What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive…" **_

Phoenix couldn't believe he was doing this. Sure, he sucked at piano but this was…this was pure torture!

He'd hit rock bottom this week; for some reason his piano-playing sounded even worse and after the case where he'd been – falsely - charged with the murder of Shadi Smith, aka Zak Gramarye, not many wanted to come and play poker against him anymore.

Rumours came up, that anyone who _had _beaten him in the game were killed and hidden in the Hydeout somewhere. It was like the acquittal didn't even matter sometimes, or the fact that he was cleared of forgery on all accounts. On the other hand, regulars and even some new customers believed in him, no matter how suspicious he seemed.

"_**I can't keep up, and I can't back down~ I've been losing…so much time…" **_

The boss had finally gotten fed up and decided if Phoenix wanted his pay, he'd need to start pulling his weight. Since there wasn't much he could do for now, he said, "Well Wright, why don't you sing?"

"What?! I- I can't…what are you saying?!"

"What I'm saying Wright, is if you want income, you've got to generate it and if not, you're fired."

"Wha-"

Phoenix couldn't get fired! He had to support Trucy after all, and with his track record he definitely wasn't going to get hired anywhere else. At least until he retook the bar exam.

…So he had no choice. He was forced to sing. He really wasn't a good singer; he was sweating bullets as he got up on the makeshift stage, wiping his hands on his pants.

"'_**Cause it's you, and me, and all of the people with nothing to do…nothing to lose. And it's you, and me, and all other people and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you." **_

His voice had cracked at the beginning of the chorus and no doubt the boss had noticed, wondering why he bothered to keep Phoenix around anyway. He sat at the bar watching Phoenix, amused, with a cigarette in his mouth and a smirk on his face.

Phoenix looked away and immediately, something caught his eye. A flash of long, dark hair, under an abnormally large sunhat; weaving and making its way to a table in the back of the room. He froze for a second, remembering the dark hair of a girl he'd once fallen in love with, a girl he'd shared so many moments with, a girl he hadn't seen in what felt like forever.

"_**One of the things, that I want to say~ just aren't... coming out right…"**_

'_Calm down, Phoenix,' _he reassured himself, _'it couldn't possibly be her. Why would such a respectable woman come to such a shady hole-in-the-wall place like this?' _

"_**I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning~ I don't know, where to go, from here…" **_

The woman sat down, and even though the majority of her face was covered, Phoenix saw that she was beautiful, with skin that looked smooth and flawless. She ordered something from Olga, then sat back and simply watched him with an intense aura emanating from her.

"'_**Cause it's you, and me, and all of the people with nothing to do…nothing to prove. And it's you, and me, and all other people and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you." **_

Phoenix couldn't stop staring at her; there was definitely something familiar about her, from the way she sat and sipped at her drink to the way she seemed captivated by his mediocre performance.

"_**There's something about you now~ I can't quite figure out…Everything she does is beautiful, everything she does is right…" **_

…He had to go see her. Yet, he couldn't risk it. Any sane person would've told him to wait until he'd finished singing but before he knew it, he'd rushed down the steps of the small, sorry excuse of a stage platform and made a beeline for her table.

It never occurred to him that he might have been mistaken, that this woman wasn't the one he was looking for. He wanted the cheerful girl from an eternity ago, the immature kid with a cheeky grin and the amazing ability to force a smile in even the most painful situations. Most of all, he wanted the beautiful woman she had grown into. It never occurred to him that just because he thought he saw her, it didn't mean she was actually there.

It never occurred to him that he might've been wrong.

The second before he went over and lifted her sunhat up to see her face, he was overwhelmed with a sense of dread. He picked up the hat and was met with a beautiful – but completely unfamiliar- face.

"Excuse me, but what the heck are you doing?!"

Eyes wide, Phoenix dropped the hat and scrambled a good distance back, mumbling, "I-I'm sorry, I…I thought you were someone else."

He could feel the piercing stares from customers and the heated glare of his boss boring into the back of his head as he slowly stepped back onto the platform, feeling more foolish and empty than anything. He was so sure he'd seen her, that she was the woman sitting at the table.

How could he have made such a mistake? He was supposed to know her better than anyone.

It seemed when you wanted something, or _someone _so badly, your mind could convince you it was right there when it wasn't.

"'_**Cause it's you, and me, and all of the people with nothing to do…nothing to lose. And it's you, and me, and all other people and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you, **__**and me, and all other people with nothing to do…Nothing to prove~"**_

What? Someone had joined in with his singing. A higher voice, more delicate, and undeniablya better singer.

"_**And it's you and me and all other people, **_

_**and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you~"**_

Phoenix scanned the room frantically. It wasn't as if there were many people in the Borscht Bowl Club that night; it was nearly deserted in fact.

He must've been going crazy; mistaking a different person for her, and now hearing her voice, so angelic and sweet harmonizing with his. He shook his head lightly in an effort to clear his mind but unmistakably, he still heard her voice singing along with him, matching perfectly.

"_**What day is it? And in what month? …This clock never seemed so alive…"**_

Dazed, Phoenix stepped down and headed for the bar, intent on drowning out whatever this insanity was with a good drink or two. He sat with his head in his hands, trying to keep himself together.

"I'm sorry sir, I really messed up tonight. I-I thought I saw my…erm, someone really important to me. It won't happen again sir, I promise, I just made a mistake. I've just got to cool my head."

Phoenix was so intent on apologizing to his boss that he hadn't realized he was mistaken again, because since he wasn't looking up, he hadn't realized the person he was apologizing to wasn't even a man.

She gently shook him out of his slumped-over position and helped pry his hands from his face so that he could see her, smiling at him. "Maybe you didn't make a mistake tonight," she whispered.

Phoenix's eyes grew the size of dinner plates when he identified her. "What, how? Maya –"

Before he knew what was going on, Maya Fey, the respectable and dignified Master of Kurain had grabbed onto the front of his sweater and pulled his face to hers, kissing him passionately. Almost as abruptly as she'd started, she stopped and put her hands on her hips, eyeing him accusingly. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Phoenix didn't respond but lightly brushed his fingers across his lips. _'D-Did that just happen? It…sure has been a while huh? Yet it's a feeling I remember very well.' _He closed his eyes and smiled.

Maya glared at him, "What's with that dreamy expression of yours Nick? By the way you're acting it's like I've never kissed you before, or that I'm a total stranger." She crossed her arms and huffed.

Phoenix opened his eyes and affectionately took her hands in his. "What are you doing in a place like this, Maya? Why aren't you in Kurain?"

She gaped, slack-jawed, and yanked her hands away, shouting, "What do you mean? You were cleared of all charges of forgery! Kristoph is in jail! Yet, you're telling me I should be in Kurain, still playing secret girlfriend?"

Instead of responding to her accusations, Phoenix stood up, put his hands on her shoulders and gently pressed his lips to her cheek. "I missed you too, Maya," he whispered.

Maya's cheeks burned red and she pushed at him lightly. "Hey! No fair! Don't do that when I'm asking you questions!" She glanced away. Ironically, she was embarrassed.

He chuckled, and then asked a question of his own. "Do the Elders know you're here? What did they say?"

She rolled her eyes and grimaced, "Well they, uh, weren't too happy about me coming but you already knew that. About our relationship…I don't care." She grinned mischievously. "They can't really say anything about you now that you've been cleared of all charges, and with all the times you've saved me, they should keep their mouths shut anyway."

Phoenix laughed, and gave her a sad smile. "You've saved me a couple of times too you know?"

Maya smiled. "Yeah, you and me, we've always been a good team haven't we?"

She didn't need an answer, she already knew it in her heart but Phoenix gave her one anyway. A quick kiss and the reassuring words of, "You bet we are."

…

_What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive. _

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**I'm hoping to write something non-Phoenix/Maya soon too, maybe even in a different category because it seems pretty much my entire account is comprised of Phoenix/Maya stuff, except for the Klema oneshot I did for Sakudrew.  
**

***sigh* I should also completely redo some earlier chapters of Magatama Tsubasa. I wrote those two years ago and am rather ashamed of them actually...I did do some editing but that wasn't really on content. The chapters just don't flow right because I was an idiot and didn't plan things out properly**

**But well, that's an entirely different story and my own rambling. Reviews are much appreciated, especially for improvement  
**


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